Adoption
by Filletmyingyawn492
Summary: Siblings, whether they be old or young, they are family you never thought would come into your life. It's all by surprise and chances. (I was going to put this as a crossover with Gegege No Kitaro, but it's not on the site? So take it like this, but IT IS a crossover.)
1. Chapter 1

Tweety's and canaries disturb the otherwise mute silence in Sakura New Town, their chirps and beeps attributed to the rising sun. Soft and slow did the gargantuan planet climb from the horizon, away from its slumber to start a new day. Crickets music is not interrupted at all, merely joining the avian species until they hide underground for the day.

Some cars begin on a loud motor, with the adults getting up to begin their workday. Others sat there in solitude, windows and exterior doused by the morning dew like the grass.

Ladybugs and caterpillars scutter in the trees and flowers awaiting to feast on leaves or fly to find their mates in the gardens spread out among the town. No beetle dared to move from their spots on the trunks of trees, devouring the syrup and nutrients.

Orochi sleeps on a hammock just outside Mao's balcony, arms hugging himself under a well-knit blanket made of the softest cotton with designs of little blue cobras dancing on the wind. Mao made it for him, seeing as the outside can become unsettling and harshly cold if you slept out there. His mufflers breathed unevenly in and out, snoring unlike their master. One has a spider web going in and out, with the homeowner on the brink of being sucked in.

In the home of the 'average' boy as others deemed him, his parents wake up from their slumber both stretching themselves in bed, gathering all the willpower to get out of their warm cocoons.

Aaron yawns getting up first, heading out the door in his slippers. Lily stretches out her arms, her heat source no longer available to her disposal. A small peak of sunshine breaks into the bedroom, illuminating her face.

She groans and hides under her pillow, frustrated she couldn't even get a full night sleep and wake up on her own time. Her husband goes into the bathroom beginning to brush his teeth and get ready for the day. As for her, she needed to wake up her son to get HER day started.

With a huff she throws the pillow to the side, gliding easily on the bed to sit up. She twists back and forth to hear the sensational cracks desperately needing to be released after her good nights' sleep. Swiftly putting on her slippers, she too is out the bedroom ready with her unbearably loud voice to wake up her only son.

Soft footsteps trudge their way over to the closed door. Lily knocks twice while opening the door.

"Keita? It's time to wake up for school!" Whispered, having the door ajar for the hallway light to seep in. Keita is entangled in his bed sheets, snoring into the ceiling, dreaming about eating fried chicken with Fumi-Chan. Mouth drooling, he mumbles something incoherent.

Lily opens the door all the way, coming in. "Come on sheepy-head! You can't stay in bed forever!" Nudging his shoulders, at the same time unveiling his room to the morning sun. He too becomes irritated by the rude awakening.

"Just five more minutes mom~." He pleads, shifting to a new position. Lily giggles walking back out the room. "I'll be downstairs preparing breakfast! If you don't hurry up, your father will eat all of it." She playfully warns walking out.

Jibanyan stays snoring beside Keita, undisturbed from any forms of trouble. The light hit Whisper at just the right spot, his floating body caught by the grasp. He was cold and the sunlight did pass through him, but on the floor and Keita's bright rugs, there was no stopping the glare. His nose bubble popped, catching sight of the living room and his masters' bedroom.

"h….HURNGH!" He stretches, spinning in place.

The red feline rolled over into the wall, earning a smart bruise to his forehead. "Owwwwww. Who put this wall here, nya?" He feels his nose to check for any signs of bleeding.

Knowing the day already began with his Yokai friends up, they wouldn't leave him alone until he got up with them. He curses the morning with whatever was left of his irritation. No one was free from the sun's waking wrath.

The covers flew off, on his feet trying to see what day it is. The giant star-studded calendar all the way to his right read Thursday. One more day until the weekend arrived, he sighs in relief. School wasn't being too much of a pain in the neck as of late. No tests, no projects, nothing and boy was Keita glad about it.

Whisper hovers and phases through the closet, greeting Hikikomori. Their bat friend prepared Whisper and Jibanyan morning tea and doughnuts. "Arigato Hikikomori! I'll take the tray out!" The butler flies through again, eyes too catching the current day.

Unlike Keita, his eyes catch something else on this day. The boy picked out his set of clothes to take to school, uninterested in the tea and doughnuts. Lily would kill him if she smells his bad breath combined with the aroma of sweets. Count Cavity wouldn't be too far behind either.

"Jibanyan, Hikikomori was so kind to order us breakfast! Wakie wakie!" He nudges the cat. Upon hearing free food, he attacks Whisper in midair grabbing the tray in his paws, drinking tea from the kettle and gobbling down the pastries. "D-Don't be so disgusting! That's for you AND me, whissu~!" He scolds, taking back the hot tea kettle.

"Mind your own manners, Whisper." He scratches an eye with a glaze covered paw, taking out the sand bits.

He pours himself some tea and grabs three doughnuts to his plate. "Anyways. Did you know that today is **Sibling's Day?"** He takes a bite. Keita was already downstairs, fixing his bed head and grabbing the toothbrush.

Whisper was no glutton, but he puts on more weight than he notices. The doughnuts on his plate were well gone, but he cleaned up elegantly. The feline merely rolled around and licked himself clean, without even thinking about using the bathroom to freshen up first.

"Why is that important, nya? None of us have brothers or sisters." Jibanyan utters, opening the door. Hikikomori's upgraded Roomba arrives soon, but Whisper was hasty in trying to clean. He left the tray and tea set near the closet, hoping the shut in would clean it later.

"It's important to the families that HAVE siblings. You never thought about having one Jibanyan, whissu~?" They make their way down the stairs, meeting Keita at the dining table, backpack all ready and prepped to go. The family sat at the table, with tons of food composed of eggs, bacon, pancakes and hash browns.

Squishy kitten merely shook his head, not even sure if he remembered he had siblings when he was alive. Well, born and as a tiny baby he wouldn't know of course, just having Amy and the gang was enough family to be with.

They hop on the couch, waiting for their master to get up and ready for school.

Not even Keita was aware of the day of siblings. He bit into his pancakes and bacon, relishing the sweet and salty combination bringing his heart into content. Aaron takes a newspaper to see the local funnies, receiving a mug full of dark roast from the wife.

"Keita, do you have everything you need for school? I don't want to run down there again with your finished essay for English!" She gripped the spatula in her hand tight, the steel end just about ready to fly out. He captured her intensity, sweat forming on his forehead.

Pancake bits and eggs got caught in his wind pipe, earning a choke. "Y-Yes mom! I have everything!" He gulps down orange juice.

Jibanyan picks his nose, much to Whispers chagrin as it gets flicked by his face.

Keita recollected everything on his mental plate about everything. Breathing came first above all else. All the math homework is done, even with the little amount of tutoring Kanchi gave him the day before. Science sheets about the 100 vocabularies also done and done. Just about all that he could remember, nothing quite slipped hi-

' _ **Oh sh-(insert dolphin screeching, thanks to the gem quartet.)'**_

The assignment about what it is like or what it would be like to have another sibling in your life.

Like his friends called him, the thoughts about even remotely having a sibling or getting one were relatively average in his mind. Not that having a baby brother or sister was bad, but just being the only child made things just far simpler. Amongst all the chores he does, he does it with the help of his mom and vice versa.

Not like he loved doing them. Aaron feels having one child is enough, he could only afford so much when Keita was born. The car he's still busy trying to pay off, all the bills included in the house not to mention the mortgage, he'll probably have white hair before Keita's fourteenth birthday.

Neither ever thought of oh Lily felt on adding another member to the family.

"I'm still a little lost on the whole Sibling's Day thing. Mom, Dad, what do you think about having another baby in this family?" His questions were genuine.

Aaron almost spat out his coffee to stain the dining room table cloth. He gulped it back down like it was water, scorching the inside of his throat. Hacking and coughing, did he bellow, not even paying attention to the lost funnies section he was reading.

"Honey, calm down! It's not like Keita told you he's about to have surgery, now is he?" Whisper took the turn to jump from the couch, like a hot potato hurled into the air. Jibanyan bounced and captured Whisper into his mouth, teeth piercing his flabby exterior. The poor butler screams agony again, not sure if he could endure more surprises.

"K-Keita… sa-say it isn't so." He managed to choke out, crying.

"I don't know about us having another child, but I think it'd be a wonderful experience for you Keita to learn how to be a big brother!"

' _She's jumping into conclusions like we already planned it months ago.'_ He shouts in his head, a little disgruntled.

His mother returns to the subject. "It was a little troublesome raising you Keita, but you were never a problem. In fact, you were the cutest baby I gave birth to." Said baby hid his face within his hands, embarrassed by his mothers' words. Aaron found his breath, following up on Lily's phrase.

He put his hand to Keita's head, "She's right. As cute as you were, you'll grow up to be a far more handsome and intelligent young man than you are now." He checks the TV for any weather updates.

 **Charles listens keenly from the watch, giggling to himself hearing how cute Keita was. He stands on a stool in Enma's room, couldn't help but over hear the morning conversation. Chastity ushers for him to follow and begin the days exercises and fun with Enma. He hears her, about to jump off the stool.**

 **Caspian comes out of nowhere with a slingshot. "Incoming!" He shouts, shooting an apple towards said brother.**

 **It smacks his back hard. "OH F-(Insert screeching bird sounds here)." It causes the blue mark on the Yokai Watch to flash 3 times.**

This was something new to call him such positive compliments. Averageness wouldn't affect him all the time if he talked to his parents more often. Despite the fact they're an average family living in a house with one child and a car, Keita and the Yokai watch are far away from the term.

"To have another kid, I don't know if it's necessary. I have enough help around the house, err sometimes, I think my job as a stay at home house-mom is well balanced. I don't really want to go through all the late night/early mornings to feed and change them again." She sweat drops, remembering the all-nighters she and Aaron pulled.

Keita slipped on his socks and shoes, still listening to his parents. Not that any of them minded.

"What do you think Keita? Do you want a brother or sister?" Aaron felt a sharp twinge to his stomach. He's hoping Keita is going to say no, as he doesn't want to relive changing diapers and cleaning up the vomit.

Jibanyan's ears perked, paw to his mouth now utterly curious if his friend wants another addition to the family. Even Whisper pulled out a humanized ear from the side of his head.

His mind went blank for a moment, trying to process the thought. Would a baby have to stay in his room? If that was the case, he wanted out. It's only big enough to fit one person and frankly he wanted it to stay that way. To teach him how to speak, crawl and walk would be exciting. Play video games, monitor their growth with the pencil etchings on the wall.

At the same time however, he fears he'll be forgotten. Relationships with siblings is never on a one-way road of positive marks, it is rocky and unpredictable. Almost nothing can stay at peace regarding sharing. He'd have to hear about the sibling's discussion at homeroom. But the only answer he could give now was:

"I don't know. There's so many ups and downs when it comes to babies too." He looked at the Yokai watch, reading around 8 AM. School starts in 10 minutes and he was running behind. He'll get an extra gym exercise beforehand.

"I have to go, gonna be late for school! Bye Mom, bye Dad!" He whisks fully takes his backpack in the heat of getting a tardy from the school. Johnson won't be too pleased with late students, but they're always welcome in the class regardless.

Out the door he went, Jibanyan and Whisper following not too far behind. Lily and Aaron stare at each other. "Tell me you're not pregnant, dear." He hopes in the bottom of his heart she isn't.

"All right children! It's time to get into groups and discuss about Sibling's Day!" Johnson shouted to the class, as he finished a lecture on the four important modes in math. Not that any of them were excited about it.

It was time for Lunch anyhow, and the children were more than happy to retrieve their share of the full pots and pans and bring it to their room. Norika (Natalie), Mamoru (Mark) and Takumi (Eric) were the students for the day to bring it in.

Keita brings his desk around to fit with Kanchi, Kuma and Fumi-Chans in a giant square.

It didn't take long for the food to arrive, as everyone got settled into their seats and began eating their meal. Today's lunch is tuna sandwiches on a croissant bread, followed by an abundant supply of tater tots, pudding and milk.

Kuma went straight for the kill on his plate, whispering 'Itatakimasu!' under his breath. All three watched their friend devour his helpings without taking a single breath.

Fumi spreads an arm around her meal trying to make sure none of his slobber, striking the conversation up like a match to the ignition stripe.

"Having other siblings would be cute to me, but I think it's too much housework and paperwork to do and keep track of." She says, blowing at the overheated tots. Kanchi would have agreed with her on the negative side but he had a counter argument for himself.

Keita crunches down on his sandwich, savoring the sea salt and mayo infused with the fish.

"Mom and Dad would never have another kid besides me, but they'd probably spoil them and never pay any attention to me and suddenly they forget about my existence." He pouts, wiping off the excess oil from the croissant.

"I forgot about that Kanchi! It's always involving sibling rivalry and I don't like it when parents pick favorites!" She splatters ketchup onto her tots and sandwich.

Johnson came around handing out green napkins, placing them in the middle of each group. Keita grabbed a couple, to clean the mess of fish that dripped onto his pants. Messy food can never be avoided.

"Having a sibling sounds like a lot of work if you ask me." The star boy picked his pudding cup up and commenced eating it. The vanilla flavoring was a favorite to all the children.

"If WE were the siblings…" He chews through in sentences. "As in younger siblings, I guess it would be alright. Parents must look out for all their children regardless. My Mom and Dad were talking about it in the morning, and they were at a standstill. I… I think it'd be nice to have a little brother or sister around my home."

This intrigued Fumi-Chan and the crew, Kuma licking his fingers and grabbing few napkins to wipe his dirty face. Kanchi continued to eat his sandwich little by little. He never had a big appetite to begin with, but he was a hungry and ferocious boy when given the chance.

"It does get… lonely being an only child though." He hated to admit it, but that part was always true. It stunned his friends in the group. They must feel the same way. Save for Kuma whose sister is from America, but it still shocked him to hear Keita say that.

Wanting to be alone was one thing, but loneliness was the horrible ulterior. "It would be nice to teach new family member things I've learned, even small things. Video games, story-telling, everything." _Maybe the Yokai Watch when they get old enough._

Fumi-Chan smiled brightly at him. He'd have to be a good father someday if he's talking about helping to raise a baby. The man of her dreams is still lost in the future, even in her deepest dreams someday she'll find someone to start a family with.

 ***Ding-Dong-Ding! ***

The school bell rang, indicating it was time for the students to go home. No one rushed out. They all came along at their own individual paces. The Detective Agency went to the soccer field to discuss further matters concerning spooky rumors.

Others go out of their various ways to downtown Sakura for an afterschool snack, some to try the new latest craze in meals and sugar filled treats.

Most of the girl's head to the shopping area for clothing, some to get latest comics.

Keita is walking with Kuma and Kanchi down to the crosswalk to head to the Sakura Community Center to brush up on new dancing skills, Fumi-Chan left to attend to her matters in afterschool activities.

"You think you could beat me with the new dance routine we're learning, eh Kuma?" The shortest of the three teases. The dance sensation they were talking about was more of a tune for the shorter kids. They had far more stamina when Kanchi figured it out.

Kuma becomes flustered, "O-Oy! Not all of us are flexible!"

"You're right, you need to lose some weight." Kanchi retorted. A chase began, the tech boy running and laughing for his life from the small bear. Keita laughed as well, walking his usual pace.

Leaving the school gate, a pale purple fog started filling all the space around Keita. He was a tad shocked, even bewildered to see his best friends running here and there without having to stop and look where the other went.

"H-Hey, what's going on?!"

The loud piercing cry of a baby broke his attention. Out in the middle of the crosswalk was a brown-haired baby, bawling to the sky. Not even in a carriage or basket, just left there abandoned in the street. Just who would leave it there is a despicable parent. The sign turned red signaling not to walk.

Keita couldn't leave the baby alone and calling a Yokai would take too long.

 ***HONK HONK! ***

 **His eyes widen, seeing a large truck come at a fast speed down the road. His instincts tell him he couldn't do anything, but his gut argued against it. As reckless as the act would be, the baby didn't deserve this. Not even Jibanyan would be fast enough to reach the infant in time.**

 **With all his might, his legs pounced towards the street, abandoning his backpack to lose extra weight. "KEITA!" His best friends cry from the sidewalk.**

 **Fuu 2 would make an early comeback and he didn't care. He takes the baby in his arms, truck coming in at high speed.**


	2. Chapter 2: Baby Woes

**My gosh does this need an update. Sorry for taking so long guys, thank you for your patience!**

* * *

"Nate!" Eddie shouts in shock, reaching out to his friends aid to no avail. Bear turned around, covering his eyes in fear of the mess about to take place.

To Eddie's eyes, and the other pedestrians there own, their eyes lied on the poor boy covering the infant, unprotected in the street. Time froze. Birds appeared to stop in the middle of the air completely unaware of the events taking place. A frog out in a nearby pond flicks out its tongue to prey, right on the verge of capturing the wings of a fly on its slimy and spiny tongue.

The truck approached, inching little by little to the child and infant. Nate crouched over the boy, covering his face so no fear would come to the baby's eyes. A last minute action, the baby itself took hold of Nate's red jacket.

An unwavering blue haze erupted before their impact, a loud explosion following suit. Great force expelled itself from the two, shoving most tress and people in its wake. Bear was hurled into the wall of the school's outer entrance, Eddie held his ground, face covered by his arms. The smoke was impossible to see through, not an inch of road could be seen.

"Nate! Are you alright! Answer me buddy!" His heart pounds within his chest, about to pounce out of his throat. His eyes begin to water, slightly from debris but from what he just experienced. This couldn't be happening. Not once in Eddie's life did he think Nate could be a hero, act instinctively to save someone in mortal danger. A fool he would tell him, the biggest fool on the Earth.

Light mumbles and small shrieks escaped other people's mouths, trying to contact emergency services, to try and accentuate the situation at hand. Bear, with all the courage he could muster, turned around afraid of any body parts that have flown out from the crash. If Bear feared anything more in his life, it was the anatomy and its body parts. Good thing he didn't want to become a doctor.

The sunlight began piercing the fog, only there wasn't any large amount of damage, none to prove fatal to anybody. However, the fog displaced only to have more... _**startling**_ scene before them.

Among the giant dent on the trucks head, the biggest mass of black substance had surfaced. It was growing exponentially, spreading around like a giant sphere, invading the air above. An incessant noise followed suit like it was buzzing. As horrifying as it was, it was surprisingly enticing to watch. A majority of the mass covered the bodies of Nate and said, infant. Slowly and ominously, the mass began taking form into a giant creature. One of the little black pieces from it landed on Eddie even Bear.

It stunned them, unsure if making a move would cause it to bite them. The giant wings on it were about 15 mm long, head adorned with five spikes around it, millions of little eyes on 2 plump orbs. Eddie remembered seeing this creature in an insect book. Although, this kind of insect was 3 times as big as it's original species. Its mouth kept gnawing on air, three of them moving with sharp fangs.

"Get it off, Get it off, Get it off!" Bear ran in a circle, trying to get the bug off of him.

Locusts. Big ones too. The one on Eddie's arm, crawled a little towards him, before propelling itself up into the air, with its brethren and joining the crew.

The loud buzzing sounded like a jet plane, that overcoming the ones cicadas made. People looked on in horror, afraid they were going to devour their flesh any second now. They manifested into a head. Just like the locusts themselves, five spikes surrounding its face only this time it has characteristics of a human face. Red piercing eyes sparkled and radiated from them, a pair of lips forming as well.

It smiled before morphing into a creature bearing large and visceral teeth at the direction of the truck. The driver, finally getting out to see the commotion, with earphones on, became terrified. He dropped his phone onto the ground, the flat screen shattering on the pavement. What little did he care for it after what he's witnessing?

The thing snarled at him, before roaring out into the abyss known as the sky sending harsh shock waves. Eddie and Bear, along with the other pedestrians covered their ears with all the force their palms could muster. It was like a deep echoing effect only a lion could create, followed by the screeching of a banshee. Windows and glass shattered within a 15-mile radius, shocking stay at home moms and their children to come screaming in fear.

All of the mass snarled once more to the driver, before heading towards the sky, dissipating out high and far all over Springdale. Bear could have sworn he'd seen a monster bug movie similar to this, but he was sure none of them could muster so much ensemble of manifestations and a bellowing cry like those. His attention was snapped out, seeing Eddie and Katie, who took cover behind the entrance wall rush over to Nate.

Bear pays no mind to his clothes, adrenaline forcing him to runs straight to the road.

The entirety of Nates body was covered in black soot, not an inch of him was left bare. A hole formed in the pavement, cradling his figure like an impression was going to be left when he got up. In any case, he wasn't moving. Eddie and Katie gently lift his body to get him on his back. An unbearable screaming came from within his arms. The wailing surprised them but was adamant on getting their best friend responsive.

Eddie took off his outer coat, smooshed it into a pillow placing it under his head. Katie placed her ear around Nate's mouth, any live signs of breathing. Very faint, but alive. The black blanket held tightly to his chest was unveiled by Bear, revealing the screaming infant. Nate had bruises, cuts, and burns around his face parts of his clothes torn away revealing more on his chest, arms, and legs.

Water burned into their eyes, Eddie reaching over the infant whose face was covered by large brown locks. He brushes them aside to reveal its mouth for air, then going over to cup Nate's face. He rubbed a thumb over his dirty cheeks, eyes sullen not even moving a few centimeters.

Blood stained his skin on various parts of his body, spots forming on his pants. Katie took out a spare first aid kit from her backpack, tending to her work. Like lightning, she moved various bottles and band-aids around, opening a rubbing alcohol spray bottle, tearing tourniquet tape, she was a nurse in the making.

All three friends had tears streaming down their faces, praying on the inside that their friend wasn't dying or worse.

Sirens and its lights accompanied were audible in the distance, just barely piercing the baby's screaming. Eddie props Nate's head onto his lap, just lightly on top of his vest.

"Are all of you alright!? Is anyone hurt?" A bystander came in a hurry to assess any injured citizens. Several more people come along, dressed in red and white clothing. Several tears trickled their way onto Nate's unconscious face, gently removing little bits of dirt and debris. Katie and Bear were about to move away for the paramedics to begin their assessment on Nate and the infant, not before seeing Eddie touch foreheads with him.

"Y-Y-Y... You're going to make it, Nate I just know it. Please don't give up on us... **on me."** He was helped up by a fellow firefighter, others putting out small fires set on other cars and various trees. The swarm of insects were nowhere to be seen, not one trace of them. Not a leg, not a wing scale, not even any eaten vegetation.

The crew were taken to one of the ambulances, given a blanket to cover their shivering forms. Shock was the least of their worries but having to overcome it was necessary. Police drove in to survey the area, even question the truck driver piloting the vehicle. He tells the officers he had no idea the children were present on the road when he was driving.

That was proven false, a headphone popping out of his left ear signifying he was listening to music, most likely too enthralled by whatever song he was listening to.

Police tape with 'DO NOT CROSS' lined in a triangular shape from the school closed off entrance, making it an inconvenience for drivers to pass by. They watch Nate become hoisted into a strainer, infant being examined and both put into the large vehicle to be taken to Fortune Hospital.

Neither of the three spoke to each other about the incident, hoping one of them was having a nightmare and with just a pinch, they'd wake and realize it was right. No officers came along to ask them anything, no questions could be asked. The only thing people saw was a baby in the middle of the street crying for its mother, a bystander saw and had to help and the truck was just the tragedy.

"Guys." Bear spoke out breaking the silence.

The two shorter friends looked to him, "How do you think his parents are going to take a story like this?" He asks still shaking.

As if a makeshift winter came along, Katie and Eddie huddled towards Bear, wanting to to find solace that Nate wasn't too hurt.

* * *

 _ ***Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.***_

A nearby heart monitor tracks a patients heart. Room 305 of Fortune Hospital, containing room for at least 3 patients with a rather large window, enabling the room to become a setting of brightness and clarity. The ones occupying it were 2 children, 1 currently recovering from surgery for their appendicitis. The other was an accident patient.

Nate lied there, with a leg cast and several cuts and bruises. He was asleep thankfully for the pain might just be a little too much.

"He's in here Mr. and Mrs. Adams." A doctor with sharp gray eyes and long flowing black hair all tied in a ponytail guides the parents in. Lily rushes towards her son, gently taking hold of him and wrapping her arms around his sleeping form. Aaron shakes hands with the doctor, both going towards Nate's bed. Lily places several chaste kisses to his now clean face.

"What happened to him doctor-"

"Elzaz. Dr. Elzaz." He proclaims, shaking hands with them both.

"According to the police and eyewitness accounts, bystanders saw a brown-haired infant in the middle of the road." Both gaped in shock at such a scene, even the mention brought horror to their eyes and stomachs.

"No one knew how it got their, and this brave young man stepped in to shield it from an oncoming truck." He grabs several of his charts and a few X-Rays. He places the black translucent sheets up on the board and flicks the light on. It was the one for Nate's right leg. A couple of hairline fractures, cracks and one major break in the tibia of the boys leg.

"He's a very lucky boy. Only suffered cuts on his arms and legs, and just the right one is broken." He tells them, grabbing a pen and circling the major areas of contusions.

Lily gives an exasperated sigh of relief. "Oh my god. Nate's such a wonderful boy isn't he Aaron?" Her husband agrees, ruffling Nate's head and giving his own little kiss to his forehead. The boy smiled in his sleep, a significant sign there was no brain damage.

"People described the scene as... bizarre. They said a dark mass of insects appeared before the two in an explosion. They said it was a sentient being, capable of taking various forms before rising to the sky and dispersing. Locusts too." He says, jotting down some notes.

Aarons stomach churns at the thought of bugs even present. Dr. Elzaz takes his stethoscope and examines Nate, a daily routine to see if anything new comes up in the patient. Lily rubs her thumb over Nates hand, which instinctively grasps hers but very gently. Springdale sure had its history but for something like this to come out of the blue was undeniably odd.

"You can take him home after he's well-rested, or when he wakes up. I'll give you the list of meds to give him to treat his wounds. I'll be right back." He says, clicking a button on one of the little buzzers they always have with them.

"OH, doctor!" Lily exclaims, voice just at the right volume not to wake Nate. He turns around, attention now to the mother. "What about the baby?"

"The infant, a boy, is currently in the infirmary being treated by nurses. The prognosis is good, he too only suffered small wounds. However, he has a lot of brown hair covering the top of his face, and well...-" He was cut off by the announcement in the ceiling calling for his name to another room. He points a finger up as a 'give me a minute.' gesture.

"What do you think he meant by that, honey?" Lily asks, concerned.

"Don't know. I can only hope for the best he ha doesn't have any scars." Aaron concludes, taking Lily's hand, seating themselves in front of their son. He shuffles in his bed, shivering. Lily covers the remaining top portion of his chest snug to his throat. Aaron grabs a magazine, one on the recent shift of global warming on the front, and an ad about easy shaving without the use of razors.

A knock at the door alerted them. At first, it was a bouquet of Aubrietas making their presence. Then, in came a boy with a cowlick covering the majority of his face and glasses.

"Um, excuse me is this Nate Adams room?" He asks around. His eyes come face to face with Nate's parents, relief coming to his eyes. His shy expression was replaced with a bright smile as he strode his way over to the family.

"Hello, Lucas! It's so good to see one of Nate's friends visit him at the hospital. How have you been, sweetheart?" She asks, taking the flowers and placing them in a nearby vase.

"I-I've been alright Mrs. Adams! It's a pleasure seeing you again too! How is he?" He asks, blushing a tad bit.

Lucas comes forward, feeling Nate's forehead, wondering if he was suffering from a disease. "Nate rescued a baby almost hit by a truck. I would call him a little rash fool, but I thank the heavens above he's only broken a leg." Lucas' eyes were averted to the cast, propped up by long wires to the ceiling. He sucked in his teeth, placing a hand on Nates'.

He didn't need to ask about what the infant was doing in the middle of the road, as that was about to be answered. One of his classmates, risking their lives to save another younger than them. A hero he was. He still never even saw Nate as... Oh, what did the others call him? Average? That term flew out the window from here on forward.

"What about the others?" He asks, sleeved hand coming to cover his mouth. It was almost inaudible but Lily caught it. "Eddie and the others will come over to our home once Nate's out of the hospital. I think one of them will come soon though." Lucas nods to their assured statement.

"Mr. and Mrs. Adams?" Dr. Elzaz comes into the room with the papers. Behind him, a nurse comes in wheeling in the infant. Slight fussing made its way to everyone's ears, the boy tugging and pulling at every fiber on the blanket. Lily's motherly instinct kicked in, wanting to see what the child looked like and what his name is. The same baby that nearly led to a fatal accident. She'd have to look at the news and other mythical books to begin opening her mind to the impossible. Whatever the Locusts purpose were, she'd have to thank one and send the message to the others.

"We took DNA from the baby to see if he has any matches to parents or people here in all of Springdale. Unfortunately **... No one match ever came back." Their hearts stopped. A baby with no biological parents, was just abandoned out in the streets?**

Lily, Aaron, and Lucas walked towards the infant, wanting to see if he ever experienced any form of trauma. His only closed eye, uncovered by the brown hair was still unopened. "Luckily, for some odd reasons, he has no bruises or cuts of any kind. But that's not all."

Dr. Elzaz, calmly moves his hair covering the left side of his face.

"Oh dear. Did he lose it in the accident?" Lily asks, patting the boy's hair. He reacted to the touch wanting to grab at whatever was touching him. He grabbed a finger, putting it in his mouth. He sucked... He grimaced... _Uh-Oh._ The Adams knew that face and it wasn't going to be pretty. He scrunches his face and lets out the same screaming he was doing back at the incident. Both parents gave their expressions of panic, seeing as there wasn't a spare warm bottle of milk to feed him. Like a mother bird hearing the cry of its young, a nurse came by to the rescue with a bottle.

"No. It appears he was born with just the right eye."

Not wanting to cover his ears because that would be deemed unprofessional in something like this, he let the nurse take over. Before he was lifted, Lucas took a look at the silver bracelet on his wrist.

 _ **"Kitaro."**_ The name had a nice ring to it. He was hoisted up to be bottle fed but he thought otherwise. Whenever the warm bottle was brought up to his mouth, he continued his fit. She tried shushing the boy, gently rocking her body back and forth but to no avail. Lily decided to give it a shot, gesturing her to bring the child over. She was granted permission, giving the boy a calm sense of mind.

He didn't struggle like before, but he was eagerly waiting for his food to come along.

"It's alright, Kitaro, It's alright. You're in great care." She cooed gently. Kitaro whines a little less, maybe this was her chance to feed him. She attempted to do just that, easing the bottle into his mouth, even wrapping him a little snug in his makeshift white blanket adorned with pink ducks on clouds. Things seemed just about ri-

" _BWAHHHHHHH! AHHHHH-HAAHHHHH!"_ He starts screaming again.

Aaron threw his hands up in protest, not wanting to make situations worse. Whenever it was time to feed Nate as a baby, either bad luck plagued him or he was extremely clumsy. He rocked back and forth at times, he ended up breaking a lamp, causing him to scream. Bottle was either too hot or too cold, the baby monitor wasn't in the right place. It seemed he almost caused trouble when he didn't want there to be. An explanation would've been nice too. What was he to believe, Yokai were behind it? It all stopped after Nate turned about 8 months when he was able to make hand gestures.

He held him, hoping not to drop him. Nate looked in the corner of his room, where all the toys were held. Using his closed hands, he let out a little 'Gwah', revealing his hands almost in a razzle-dazzle motion. In his heart, along with the goosebumps disappearing, he felt the whole room became filled with light and warmth.

Aaron smiled down to his boy, who giggle back, grabbing at his nose.

Lucas' voice broke into their daze and worry. "May I... try?" He asks, wanting to see if he was any good with infants. Mr. Johnson made them go through the BABY project early in their lives, none of them were expecting it. The skills from the day a baby was born, to have them grow up and go to school was as far as the project went, and he was really thankful for that.

All the random alarms that were the baby's 'crying' got him restless. The doctor was skeptical of a boy his age could even WANT to hold one.

Lily, now unsure if she even wants to let go agrees to give Lucas Kitaro. From the exchange of arms, he calmed down like last time. Before even handed the bottle, he walks over to a hospital chair (the only chair in the room that's able to rock) and brings his legs up to make himself comfortable too. He rocks Kitaro back and forth, softly whispering little sayings.

The bottle was handed over, he nodded his thanks. He places the bottle near Kitaro's face, places the nuzzle near... and low and behold, he began to feed. Lucas smiled, content that another alarm was shut off, he even felt glad he was able to do such a thing.

"Well, looks like your teacher taught you well," Lily said, Aaron, coming over and wrapping his arms around her waist. Unbeknownst to them, the doctor was rubbing at his tearing eyes, even sobbing a little. He sniffled before beginning again, "I don't know how to tell you all this, but the boy has nowhere to stay."

Aaron looked back at him then to his wife. "We can't let him be alone at the hospital. Nate saved his life." He said, trying to sell the cake. Lily took her gaze over to the boys in front of her. Such wonderful children. "Only if you're up for it again, honey. Is it possible to think it over to see if... we can..." The doctor nodded to her, content filling their faces.

"Come with me, I have all of Nate's papers ready, especially for discharge once he wakes up." The nurse in the room tended to the other patient in the room, and the other adults walked out of the room, waving to Lucas. He winks to them, looking back down to Kitaro, wandering if he was aware of Nate's brave action. Lucas smiles over to him, a light blush covering under his eyes, ranging over the bridge of his nose.

A little mumbling, most likely out of glee of food brought him back. The things he does for Love. He realizes quickly he can't become too attached to the boy, he feels like he's overstaying his visit. Maybe the best thing to do...

He shuffles out of his seat, going towards his friend. Lucas places Kitaro gently on Nate's left side, the right spot that made it suitable. He brushes Nates hair, softly placing his fingers on his bandages. "You really are a lucky one. I just wish we were..." His hand was grabbed, startling him. Nate smiled in his sleep, feeling Lucas' peach soft skin. He raises his head.

The sudden awareness struck him, as he looked around frantically to see if anyone else was here to witness such an action. He covers his mouth, not wanting to let out a yelp and make Kitaro cry AND wake Nate up into the world of pain known as a broken leg. Said baby giggles a little, shifting his form onto Nate's chest, continuing to feed on the bottle, using Nate as a cradle.

His forehead sweats profusely, a small embarrassed frown. Now he wasn't able to escape and tell Venoct about this. He sits in the nearby chair, sitting there. Maybe he'll talk to him when he's conscious.


End file.
